Monday, March 14, 2011

I Knew It: Cheerfulness Kills!

At least, that's what the writers of The Longevity Project think:
"Bright-eyed, optimistic children were more likely to be highly social, and "went to more parties where they smoke and drank, craving the buzz," [...] "They died from accidents." Or they remained happy when things were going their way, then crashed when confronted with the difficulties of life.
Other findings? Nose-to-the-grindstone types who don't cut corners outlive the slapdash, happy-go-lucky folks; and people who have a high-stress, rewarding job tend to outlive those with duller, less stressful employment. --Oh, and don't retire, either, if you want to live a long, long time.

...Like all such studies, it's only "true" for some majority of a large group; your personal mileage is liable to vary. Me, I'm gonna keep on smiling even if fortune favors the sourpuss -- 'cos what's the point in hangin' around only to be miserable?

13 comments:

  1. I don't want to live longer. I want to live better. Who wants to be on their death bed dying of nothing?

    No, for me it's better to hit the grave earlier having had a grand old time rather than later and hating every minute before it.

    Now, I'm happy go lucky, but I'm partially anti-social and a realist. So, life can't really surprise me as I don't expect anything but misery and tough times. I also have a low stress job that I love.

    So, according to those standards, I'll live a long time, but spontaneously combust for an unknown reason.

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  2. Roberta - I'll take on your burden for the day and walk around with an angry scowl on my face. Just for you.

    :-)

    oops.

    :-(

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  3. They don't really live longer, it just seems that way.

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  4. Well, I agree with the "don't retire" part, anyway. I'm doing a mid-career change so that I'll have a job from which I don't want to retire.

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  5. No "straw death" for me, thank you.

    While that once meant coughing your lungs out because of the TB that was rampant, today's equivalent is a lounger, a television, and a tray of snacks. Today's version is quieter, but no less deadly.

    I think I will go climb the tower. Because I really do want to live to be 150. And be shot to death by a jealous husband.

    Slainte! To a long life and a quick end.

    Stranger

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  6. I've certainly known plenty of cheerful people that I wanted to kill, just on general principle.

    Typically they were the left-wing air-headed variant, though.

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  7. On Monday mornings around here, it most certainly does!

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  8. Oh, and don't retire, either, if you want to live a long, long time.

    Wanna bet this sort of result gets more and more widely publicized as people start to realize that we can't get away without social security and medicare cuts?

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  9. Lets stomp all the damn cheerfull Smurfs! Lefty statists all.
    I don't care if people like me as long as they fear me. I prefer to leave people guessing if I'm angry, then when I'm quiet and polite, it fools them even more!

    Bruce
    crankyoldmanwithgun@yahoo.com

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  10. I'm gonna live foreever then.

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  11. Bluntobject: So what? I'm of the opinion that retirement is not everything it is cracked up to be.

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  12. Cranky old farts are smarter, too. I have that article saved somewhere...

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  13. How can I be happy if I don't have anything to complain about?

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